Renovations often turn up interesting finds, like fossils or artifacts. When renovations began on a church in the United Kingdom in March 2022, a mysterious hidden letter led to a historical enigma.
Workmen found the 125-year-old letter behind a metal plate in the choir stalls, where it lay hidden for over a century.
Handwritten in pencil on the back of a chorister’s sermon, the letter came from a young boy facing a daunting future.
An apprehensive orphaned boy
At the time, children whose parents died often faced a hard life. They lived in institutional orphanages for a time, and then were sent out to find their way in the world at only 14 years old.
That was the case with the writer of the mysterious letter, William Elliott from the nearby Sunderland Orphan Asylum. The "leading boy" of the parish choir, he was only 13 years old.
Young William felt understandable fear and anxiety about his approaching 14th birthday, when he would be discharged from the orphanage.
We can only imagine the state of nerves a child might feel in those circumstances, and sure enough, his hidden letter is enough to rend the heart. Here is an excerpt:
The mysterious letter naturally attracted lots of interest.
An unexpected future
Most of all, people wondered, whatever became of this little boy? What happened to him after he left the orphanage?
That mystery has been solved, as family history researchers went to the effort of tracking down the chorister through written documents and census records. Like many children of the time, he was the son of a sailor lost at sea.
William spent five years in the orphanage before he was discharged. Then his story took an unexpected turn.
The young boy from England ended up moving to America, becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen, and following in his father’s footsteps to a seafaring life. In fact, he had an honorable career in the U.S. Navy!
What a fascinating and adventurous life he had! Hopefully his apprehensive 13-year-old self would have been relieved and glad to know how well things would go.
Today, the church where the mysterious letter was found is honoring William’s wish of being remembered.
It’s so satisfying to know that things turned out well for young William. Perhaps his story can inspire other young people when they find themselves in anxiety-inducing situations as he did.
